I'm a monster
by ayizyu
Summary: Rei is just another young kunoichi, struggling along with her teammates to advance, succeed, and survive in the bloody world of shinobi. Begins a year before the Naruto story begins, and continues parallel to it. Rated T for blood. Chapter 6 is up.
1. Meet Rei

Well. For no logical reason that I can find, I am back on fanfiction. I should probably be working on my stories on fictionpress but I got the sudden urge to edit and pick this story up again. So… enjoy.

Chapter 1

Rei stared boredly up at the wall. The clock seemed to be mocking her, taking just the tiniest hop every long silent moment. She sighed, re-positioning herself on her seat, turning to rest on her other elbow. She still hadn't touched the work sitting in front of her, and did not plan on starting any time soon. Iruka was sitting in front of her, silently grading papers. Every so often, he glanced up at her, just to make sure she didn't try anything. She huffed, brushing a lock of black hair back and tucking it behind her ear. She had been caught cheating on a test again and was sitting in Iruka-sensei's classroom doing extra work. She knew he was stressed out right now with graduation exams coming up, but that didn't excuse him giving such a boring punishment! Though… she supposed she was lucky not to have been suspended. Cheating called for serious measures in the academy.

She readjusted her pink tube top, pulling it down a little more. She reached into her mini skirt's pocket and pulled out a packet of itching powder. She had been planning to put it in Aruka's clothes during gym class, but had forgotten about it because of the pop test. She had been careless, and had gotten caught cheating. A snore broke through her thoughts, and she suddenly realized Iruka was sleeping. _Ha, setting a great example for your student, Sensei_, she thought. She took her papers, and turned off the light as she left. If he woke up and discovered her missing, he could only doubt himself and think he was so tired that he was dozing off and imagining things. Of course, it would be a problem when he couldn't find her test, but she lived life for the "now", not the consequences of "later".

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They were waiting for her outside the academy.

She sighed. Aruka and her gang made it their business to make her school life miserable. Aruka walked up to her, smirking.

"How was the work, bitch? You definitely got off way to easy, trying to cheat off Neji-kun's test. If he weren't so chivalrous, I'm sure he would of beaten you up so bad. But he would never hit a girl. So we'll just have to do it for him." She and her followers started advancing.

_Oh, crap_. Rei was outnumbered twelve to one. She backed away as they advanced, and Aruka smirked. Rei took a deep breath, knowing there was no way she would be able to fight her way through this. She took another breath, then charged straight towards Aruka, suddenly switching directions and going to the left. Naoko stood in front of her, the most petite girl in the class, and with the element of surprise on Rei's side, Naoko was dispatched with a punch to the gut. Rei twirled by her fallen opponent and thrust the heel of her hand into Yukiko's nose, at the perfect angle to break it. Rei jumped suddenly to the right, almost tripping over Tenten, a meek follower of Aruka's group. Rei swerved, hooking her left foot into Tenten's ankle, pushing her down as she passed. She felt sort of bad for Tenten- Aruka used to be her best friend, but then they got older, and Aruka became more popular. Tenten only was part of her group because they were Neji's official fan club.

Rei broke free of the formation and started running. _Shit_, She thought, _I really don't want to deal with this right now._ She shot a look over her shoulder and stuck out her tongue. Aruka was following her, while the others crowded around Yukiko, trying to see what was wrong. Tenten picked herself up from the ground, limping on her left side. Rei ran through the town to the training grounds. Aruka could look as tough as she wanted- Rei knew she would be to scared to follow her into the depths of the forest while it was getting dark. She looked behind her, glad to see that she was keeping a good distance between her and Aruka. After a while, she made a large turn, back to the village. It was late, and she was getting tired of running. She was going to go home now, and Aruka could follow her into her apartment for all she cared. She looked behind again, but noticed Aruka missing. That was too bad for her; she was going to get lost in the dark. Rei almost pitied her. She knew how it felt to be so lost, and give in to panic. She lowed and stopped, bending over and catching her breath.

"Giving up now, whore?" Rei started at the fact that Aruka was right in front of her, and stood up so fast that she accidentally caught Aruka in the chin with the top of her head. Aruka cursed, falling backwards, and Rei took advantage of that, stomping down with all her might on her leg. Aruka shrieked in pain as her knee popped out of its socket. Rei jumped over her, then turned back to stick her tounge.

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Iruka awoke and yawned. He looked around sleepily, and was startled that he was still in his classroom. It was dark outside, and the lamp on his desk had been turned off. He looked at the desks in front of him, but of course Rei wasn't there. She had either done the work and handed it in, or she had left when he dozed off. Knowing her, probably the second. He did worry about her, as she was a favorite pupil of his, and he was worried that she would not be able to pass the graduation exam. She seemed so weak. Even if she did pass, would she be able to become a Genin, or be sent back to the academy? He sighed. He had a stronger connection with her than his other students. He recalled a fateful event, ten years ago_. _

_Iruka looked down at the polished stone marker, as if blaming it for his misfortune. He kept glaring, till he lost the contest with a tear. Within seconds, he had collapsed, blubbering, to the floor calling for his mother and father._

"_Mom… Dad… I'm sorry, I promised myself I wouldn't cry! But How could you leave me alone! I've been working so hard, to be as great as you two were- and I always smile, and laugh… Mom, are you proud of me? I'll be fifteen next month! Too old to cry…I wish you could have been here…" He broke off with a sob, covering his face. His tears mixed with the rain that had started to fall. He must have been there for hours, releasing his bottled up emotions and hopes..._

_He was shaken out of his emotional state by a clap of thunder, followed by a shriek. He sat upright abruptly, stooping the tear flow. His head whipped around, finding the source of the noise. He stood up, and ran toward it, stopping at the bank of a wild river. There was a small child in the violent waves. She looked like she was drowning. "Mama!" she shrieked. She was struggling to keep afloat, and her head disappeared for a few seconds, then it reappeared, sputtering. Her tears were swept away by the rough waters, and she had no energy left to scream. Her eyes closed, and she sank again, her hand reaching upward. Iruka tore off his jacket and jumped into the freezing water, swimming directly for the spot were the girl had disappeared. He reached it and dove downward, finding the girl's hand and gripping it tightly. He grabbed the child and rose to the surface again, then swam back to shore, where he set her down. She must have been about three or four. Her eyes were closed, and her wet black hair was plastered to her face. Iruka sat panting for a minute, then picked her up again and headed back to the village._

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"_Good work Iruka-san. If you hadn't rescued her she would have definitely drowned."_

"_She really can't remember anything?" Iruka was talking to the Hokage outside of the girl's hospital room. Sarutobi shook his head. _

"_No. It's a shame, I've already dispatched teams to try to find her family, but they can't locate them. It will be hard for her to grow up with no memories of her parents. Do you want to see her?" Iruka nodded and followed the old man into the room. The child was awake and squealing happily petting a stuffed bunny toy. Bandages were wrapped around her neck and shoulders. "Usagi-chan!" she squealed, hugging the toy to her chest. Iruka smiled. The Hokage walked up to the girl and patted her head. "How are you today Rei-chan?" The girl smiled wide- then bit him. The old man looked surprised, and withdrew his hand._

"_Ow, Jii-san!" the little girl squeaked in her high-pitched voice, then laughed like she had just made a hilarious joke. Her deep blue eyes shone. A medic walked into the room holding a clipboard. "Hokage-sama, a word about the girl." Sarutobi nodded and followed him into the hall. There was silence, except for the girl's maniac giggling. Iruka wondered if the Hokage had forgotten about him. He turned to leave, but was stopped by that squeaky voice. _

"_What's your name, Onii-san?" The girl was smiling at him, her head tilted to one side. He smiled sadly back at her. "I'm Iruka, Rei-chan." The girl squeaked and nodded. She held the bunny up in front of her, and stared at it. "Sekka-kun says he likes you!" She giggled for a few more seconds, then turned away from him abruptly, rubbing the bandages on her neck. "Onii-san, these itch." She was clawing at them, finally managing to tear them off. She curled up in a sleeping position, and clutching the bunny next to her. He thought he heard her whimper, but then a snore erupted from the girl. She rolled over in her sleep, revealing the back of her neck. Iruka gasped, seeing an intricate seal tattoo starting at the base of her neck and continuing down to her shoulders and shoulder blades. The door suddenly opened, nearly making him jump out of his skin. The Hokage walked in, looking serious. He told Iruka to go home and sleep, and that his team had a mission tomorrow. He had left, wondering about the tattoo._

Iruka was shaken out of his memories by a clock tolling the hour. He sighed and left the building. Walking home, he heard the sound of someone wailing. Déjà vu flashed through his mind, and he flinched, shrugging off the memory. He followed the sound and came across Aruka and Rei. Aruka was on the ground crying, and Rei was sticking her tongue out, walking away.

"Rei! Aruka!" he shouted. Rei jumped, then looked toward him guiltily.

"Sensei! Re- Re- Rei followed me and then she kicked me so hard and then- then- it hurts so much!" she broke off again, wailing. Iruka was surprised. He thought Rei would have gone straight home after sneaking out of detention, and was shocked that she would do such a thing. He crouched down and placed his hands over Aruka's knee expertly. They glowed green with healing chakra.

"Rei! Why on earth would you do such a thing?"

"Do what, Iruka-Sensei? Aruka tripped. I think its horrible that she would try to pin the blame on me!" she asked sweetly, standing beside him. But Iruka was not going to let her little act fool him this time.

"What did you do to Aruka!" he glared at her, daring her to lie. Instead she burst into tears.

"Whe- When I le… left, she and her friends came up to me and called me names, and then she threatened to beat me up, and I tried to run away, but then she stopped me so I I- had to- I kicked her!"

"Aruka is this true?" Aruka shook her head and whimpered. _Damn it_. Rei was frustrated. She was doing her best acting, but Iruka wasn't buying it. Aruka was the guilty one anyway; she shouldn't have to lie to get out of trouble!

"Rei-chan, tomorrow, you're staying after school again and doing the work you should have done today, and extra! I need to take Aruka home. You are in huge trouble. What, are you a baby that has to cry every time it wants something? Grow up! Graduation exams are in a week and I'd hate to see you fail!" with that Iruka picked up Aruka and left. Rei stood up and wiped her face, then went home scowling.

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Well, now I'm off to edit and repost the other chapters.

R&R (no flames, just happy comments crap).


	2. Graduation

Chapter 2

On the morning of the exam, Rei awoke with a start. She had dreamt the dream again, she knew it. It had been haunting her for as long as she could remember. She knew all the dreams were uncannily similar, but she couldn't remember what happened in them. Just the panic, and confusion, and feeling cold, so cold... She decided not to think anymore about it, it was making her shiver. She got up and changed into her lucky pink shirt and tight jeans, promising herself that tomorrow she'd be wearing her ninja combat clothes. She ate a breakfast of frosted flakes and left for the academy.

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This was it. Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei sat in front of her behind the teacher's desk. Rei looked confident. Iruka looked doubtful.

"The final Graduation exam is testing the transformation technique. You must transform into four different people, Hokage-sama, Mizuki-san, me, and another people," Iruka announced. The other students stood in the back of the room watching and awaiting their turn.

"That's way simple." Rei formed the hand seals. "Henge no Jutsu!" She disappeared in a puff of smoke and when it cleared away, Sarutobi stood in front of them. "Henge no Jutsu!" he disappeared, to be replaced by Mizuki. "Henge no jutsu!" Again there was a puff of smoke and Iruka stood there. ""Henge no jutsu!" Aruka was there, bawling her lungs out. At this, the real Aruka clenched her fists, and Iruka sighed. Rei would do anything to tick off people she didn't like.

"What, do you want to start something?" Aruka stepped up angrily. "You like to mess with me, dontcha? Dressing like a whore, and flirting with all the boys," Rei mentally frowned. She was definitely guilty of the second charge, but her outfits weren't that bad! "You even flirt with Neji-kun, then try to cheat off of his paper! You friendless loser!" Rei didn't retort. Still in Aruka form, she just cried louder and started rolling around on the floor clutching her leg. Aruka looked like she was about to commit mass homicide when Rei appeared again in a puff of smoke grinning manically. Iruka decided to intervene before things got nasty.

"Enough! Abazure Aruka, its your turn." Aruka stepped up and pushed Rei out of the way. She brushed a strand of brown hair back, and made the seals.

"Henge no Jutsu!" the smoke cleared, and in its place stood a Rei look-a-like, clad in an incredibly revealing blue bikini. Most of the students gaped, while one promptly fainted. Iruka and Mizuki looked stunned. "Oh, everyone look at me!" Aruka said in a squeaky voice, posing." I'm such a slut! Hey, Lee, will you go out with me? I know your ugly, but I don't care! I'll-" She was cut off as Rei attempted a high kick to her neck. Aruka ducked under it. Some of their classmates started cheering them on. Rei tried again, and again Aruka dodged. "I'll cover you with kisses, and then-" This time Rei managed to land a punch. Aruka tried to punch back, missed, but followed up with a kick in the shin. Rei tried to slip behind her, but was stopped by a punch to the stomach. She gagged, then aimed a punch at Aruka. She blocked it, and Rei used that opening to slap her (really hard) across the face. The classroom suddenly fell completely silent. Aruka stumbled back a few feet, transformed back, cursed, then looked at Rei, murder written in her crimson eyes. She started her hand seals, Rei doing the same. Suddenly Iruka stood between them.

"That's enough! Sit down, Rei, or I'll fail you both." Rei lowered her hands, glared at Aruka, her usual smile completely missing from her face, then walked to the back of the room and sat down. The class still hadn't recovered from the shock. Iruka returned to his seat, and motioned for Aruka to begin again. She flawlessly transformed into Sarutobi, Iruka, and Mizuki. She transformed back and sat back down, glaring daggers at Rei. One at a time, the rest of the students finished, and Iruka and Mizuki conversed in soft voices for a few minutes. Finally Iruka stood up.

"We are glad to announce that all of you have officially passed." Mizuki came around giving out the headbands. "Please come back tomorrow at ten for the explanatory meeting. Dismissed."

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Rei looked in the mirror, admiring her reflection. She loved her combat outfit. It was a black martial arts uniform, with a several changes. The top part was made into a belly shirt. The lining was blue, and the sleeves were ripped off. The pants were tight until the knee, where they loosened and fanned out. Her long, black hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and her side bangs covered the left side of her face, revealing an intense blue eye. Her hitai-ate was tied loosely around her waist, with the knot on the side. Her kunai holster was strapped to her right thigh. She had a black hoop earrings, and cuffs on her wrists. She took another look at herself and nodded swiftly. She was ready.

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Iruka cleared his throat.

"I am happy to announce that as of today you are all officially ninja. But, you are only Genin. There is a lot of hard work ahead of you. You will be assigned groups of three where you will accomplish missions under a Jounin leader." Most of the students seemed surprised at this news, and looked excitedly around at the people they hoped to team up with. Most of the girls, of course, were looking at Neji. "We have made the teams so that the overall abilities are equal. I will start to announce them, so listen for your name." he looked down at his list.

"Team one- Atarikuji Tenten." Tenten looked up, startled. "Rock Lee." Tenten grimaced at the name. Lee was the ugliest kid in the class, and was completely untalented as a ninja. Lee seemed exited. "And Hyuuga Neji." Tenten squealed with joy, and Aruka looked like she had just been punched. Neji's eye twitched.

"Team two- Anohito Yoshi." He looked up at his name, and smiled shyly. "Abazure Aruka." She looked at Yoshi in disbelief. He caught her gaze and blushed, biting his lip. _I'm with this weakling_, she thought. _This has got to be the worst day ever_. "And Ryouko Ichiyo." Aruka sighted. At least he was an okay student, not at the top of the list, but not all the way at the bottom.

"Team three- Zennou Souta" He looked unresponsive. "Ryouko Tegowai." He smiled, and turned around to high five his twin brother. "And Rei." Rei grinned her grin, twisting around to talk to Tegowai and Ichiyo. Iruka announced the other teams on the list then cleared his throat. The room quieted down. "The teachers will come in and collect you, so wait quietly until your Sensei comes." As soon as he said this, the exited chatter started again. The teachers started coming in, and taking their groups of three students outside. After what seemed like an eternity, a young jounin came up to them. He had bright red hair and a goatee, with dark eyes. He wore the standard Konoha vest, with kunai holsters on both legs. He had a huge smile on his face, and the three genin looked up at him curiously.

"Team three? I'm your Sensei. Lets go outside and talk." Rei, Tegowai, and Souta followed him outside.

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"Alright… I'm Dokujin Kyoushu, your sensei. I'm nineteen years old. I specialize in infiltration and assassination." There was an awkward silence, and the three Genin looked at him expectantly. He scratched his head and laughed uncomfortably "Um… why don't you introduce yourselves? Say your name, your likes and dislikes, and… um… your goals. You first." He pointed to Tegowai. He grinned and ran a hand through his thick brown hair.

"My name is Ryouku Tegowai, and I'm fourteen years old. I like to play sports, and I don't really hate anything. I want to be the best ninja in the world, and never let my brother live it down."

"Okay then! Interesting. Alright, now the girl."

"I'm Rei, fourteen years old, and I like to fight, and to argue, and to get on peoples nerves. And boys." _Best to be honest, right?_ "I hate rules, and getting in trouble, and losing, and being ridiculed, and Aruka, and bugs, and people that don't take me seriously, and Aruka, and boys with bad breathe, and dirty clothes, and Aruka-"

"That's enough, enough! What about your goals?"

Rei had never really thought about it, "I want to be a greatest kunoichi in the world, even better than the legendary Sanin Tsunade, and never let anyone forget it!" she came up with off the top of her head.

"Interesting… Now the last boy." Souta looked up, and Kyoushu could see his unsettling icy blue eyes from under his messy, unnaturally white hair that usually blocked the top part of his face.

"My name is Zennou Souta, fourteen. I like winning. I don't dislike much. I aim to be a Jounin."

Kyoushu looked around at his odd group of pupils. One looked interested, one was staring at the floor, and one was grinning like she was completely content and relaxed. Iruka had told him about her trouble making, and he was a little worried that she was on his team. She was a decent ninja, but not very diligent. "Well, before we go into anything, you should know that only nine of the thirty-three graduates will become Genin, while the others are sent back to the academy." Rei's grin dropped immediately, and she pouted, looking annoyed. Tegowai looked confident. "In order to decide which students will pass, our team will be having a combat test on training field number six starting at five tomorrow. Come prepared! Now go home and get well rested. Bye!"

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This was more of a transitional chapter.


	3. The test

Enjoy, peeps!

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Chapter three

"Kyoushu-sensei, We're here~!" Rei waved as she appeared from between two trees with Tegowai and Souta in tow. Kyoushu looked up from his scroll and took a deep breath before approached them.

"Good morning pupils. Did you sleep well? I hope you did because you're going to need all your energy for this." He looked around. Tegowai looked like he was about to collapse, Souta looked like a statue, and Rei looked hyperactive. She stifled a yawn, ruining the image. "The goal of this test is for you to catch and immobilize me. My goal is to decide if you should pass or be sent back to the academy. You have until two in the afternoon, when I will end the test. You need to come at me like you mean it, or else you wont be able to catch me. I will be using my techniques also, so don't get stupid. The last thing I want is to kill one of you. But it might happen." His students looked at him like he was some sort of homicidal nutcase with red hair. (which he might be…) "Alright… please stop staring… Okay, are you ready?" He looked around as his students nodded. "I'll give you five minutes to get in position, and then I'll start."

"Hai, Kyoushu-sensei!" the three chorused. With that they disappeared. After readjusting his bandana, Kyoushu turned around to see Souta facing him. Kyoushu adjusted his feet to be in a slight defensive position. _Perhaps this job will be easy…_

"Souta-kun, the point of being a ninja is stealth, and being able to conceal yourself. Not facing your enemy head on."

"Perhaps I am hidden. Who's to say?" Souta replied and melted in to the ground. Wait- melted? Kyoushu looked around. The sky had turned dark, and suddenly everything seemed sinister. Multiple Souta look-alikes started peeling out of the bark of the trees, rising out of the grass on the ground, and materializing from the air around him. They reached towards him with icy hands, closing in.

"Genjutsu" muttered Kyoushu, as the clones pulled out kunai and started to attack. He formed the hand seals. "Kaijo kirai!" The genjutsu was dispelled and the forest setting reappeared. "Good work Souta, but not good enough." He turned to see Souta sprawled out on the ground, trapped in his own technique. _One down, two to go_.

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He found Tegowai hiding in a tree near the path that cut through the training grounds. That was stupid; did he really think he was going to use a path? He suddenly appeared next to his student. "What are you looking for, Tegowai-kun?" Said student stiffened at the sound of his voice then attempted to kick him away. Kyoushu jumped backwards and landed on a branch a few yards away. Tegowai pulled out a kunai, cutting an unseen wire.

Shuriken started flying at Kyoushu from all different directions. He saw a bit of green on them- poison. He had to be careful to not get hit. He easily dodged most of them, and used his kunai to block the rest. Tegowai cursed and started making seals. "Gekidoku gasu!" he cupped his hands around his mouth and exhaled a green gas. Kyoushu held his breath and used the cover of the gas to get behind Tegowai. He pulled out another kunai, and the next thing Tegowai knew, he was on the ground, his arms were twisted behind his back, his sensei was sitting on him, and a kunai was touching his throat. "You let your guard down," Kyoshu began. "Being a ninja isn't fun. If I wanted to, I would have easily killed you up there and you wouldn't even know what happened. On any high rank mission, your target will have most likely hired ninja to protect them. The last thing you want is to be is dead. Remember that. Keep up your guard at all times, even when attacking." With that, he took his kunai away and re-sheathed it. He stood up and walked away, leaving a shocked genin on the ground, green eyes still wide with surprise.

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Kyoushu was looking everywhere. Rei still hadn't shown herself, and it was already ten-thirty. He wondered if she had fallen asleep. He wouldn't put it past her, from the stories he'd heard. He closed his eyes for a moment then jumped from the branch he stood on to land lightly on his feet. He started walking alongside the lake that marked the middle of the training grounds. It was supposed to give it more variety to the terrain. Souta was no longer trapped in the genjutsu. He was probably re-strategizing. Kyoushu began humming, walking around the lake while appearing completely at ease. He hopped backwards to dodge a dripping fist punching out of the lake. Jumping back a few more yards, he saw Rei climb out of the water shaking her hair out. _Good_, he thought; it was a smart hiding place. She had just revealed herself too early for it to be a successful ambush. Rei's smile was plastered on her face in an intimidating way. He returned the smile. _She's getting cocky._ Rei rushed at him. _Is she a taijutsu user or is this just a ruse?_ He easily blocked a series of jabs and threw in a kick of his own. She dodged, returning the move. He grabbed her ankle, throwing her off balance, and twisted it, so her back was facing her. She reached downward into an awkward wheelbarrow, and kicked with her free leg. He easily caught it, suspending her by her ankles, then tossing her upwards. She flipped so her legs were pointing downward, but he intercepted her mid-fall, kicking her roughly. She fell to the earth, landing in an awkward roll, then stood up slowly. Kyoushu landed lightly on his feet, ten feet away. Rei stroked her shoulder tenderly, rolling it experimentally, then started hand seals.

"Mizu kansei no jutsu!" she gestured a hand at the water, then swept her hand in the other direction. The water followed the motion. "What's the matter? You can't swim?" she said in a mocking tone. Kyoushu didn't reply, simply smiling and pulling out a kunai. _An unusual technique… _ Rei pushed her hand towards him, and the water followed the motion. "Kogoru!" The water suddenly solidified and Kyoushu barely managed to dodge a giant icicle that would have surely impaled him. He ducked to avoid a blade of ice that was pushed towards him, and made his own seals.

"Chimamire magire no jutsu!" An invisible hand suddenly struck Rei from behind. She spun around, keeping her hand stretched toward Kyoushu, but no one was there. The air seemed much warmer all of a sudden and a red mist surrounded her. She glanced back, but Kyoushu was no longer in front of her. Withdrawing the water, she circled it around her like a protective barrier. She put up a stance, looking around in confusion. Suddenly, she caught a gleam of metal out of the corner of her eye, and a kunai grazed past her cheek, leaving a thin line of red. It imbedded itself in the ground at her feet. She conjured a whip of water and sent it in the direction the kunai had come from, but at the same time, three shuriken flew towards her from the opposite direction. She snaked the whip around, knocking the weapons from the air. A storm of senbon flew her way and she brought the ice up as a shield. Damn it, the attacks were coming quicker than before. She barely managed to block another shuriken attack with her kunai when more senbon appeared. The air seemed hazy and there was a distinct red fog that smelled suspiciously like blood. She coughed into her hand and blocked another attack, but an immediate follow up made her swivel around and bring up the ice again. She flung the shield around to face another attack when a kunai imbedded itself in her left shoulder. She gritted her teeth, smile long gone. This was a hopeless battle, he had already won. Senbon flew at her back and hit her. She fell to her knees and pitched forward in a faint. The water dropped, mixing with the red mist and creating an illusion of a pool of blood surrounding her.

Kyoushu looked down at his student. She had fallen right into his original ninjutsu/genjutsu technique, and would be dead without a doubt if he had aimed at more crucial points. He jumped down from the tree and left her lying in the mess of weapons and red liquid littering the floor. It was eleven, two hours left for them to catch him. Next time they tried something, it should be well thought out. Souta had assumed that he would win as soon as he had fallen to his technique, and Tegowai laid in ambush at a completely illogical spot. Rei had waited till the time was right, and in a good spot, but had no strategy, she just attacked without looking out for his techniques. He headed for the edge of the training grounds to scout for his other students. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""

Tegowai and Souta kneeled next to Rei's limp form.

"Is she dead?" Tegowai whispered.

"No, just unconscious. She was hit in all the wrong spots, and this isn't all blood. Help me remove the weapons." He started pulling out the senbon in her back carefully, and placed his hands over her as they glowed blue. Tegowai reached for the kunai in her shoulder and tried to pry it out. "Careful! You're going to cut her arm off!" Souta snapped, moving his hands upwards to her injured shoulder. Tegowai looked alarmed.

"Sorry! I'm not a medic, I don't know these things! Whoa, Kyoushu-Sensei is definitely is tough! Rei-chan sure got it bad." He looked down at the girl worryingly. "Will she be okay?"

"Knowing her, she might have just fainted for attention. You can never tell when she's being serious or not." Souta finished removing the shuriken, and pulled Rei up into a sitting position. He tapped her on her head. "Rei, wake up!" Her eyes fluttered open.

"What happened…Ow!"

"Oh, Kyoushu-sensei beat you bad." Tegowai said helpfully. "We only have an hour left to catch him."

Souta nodded. "We need a strategy."

Rei smiled darkly, rubbing the spot where Souta had tapped her. "Well, we've all witnessed his techniques, we just need to pinpoint a weak spot. Or just set a trap." Her comrades nodded.

"Lets set the trap. But, we'll need bait." Said Souta, and the two boys looked at Rei expectantly.

"What?"

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Kyoushu was circling back towards the lake. There was only an hour left to the test and to be honest, the kids had made a mixed impression on him. They all were talented at their techniques, but had strong flaws. He jumped down from the branch and started walking again. Rei's technique was a much different water jutsu than he was used to. She had an amazing amount of chakra, and an equally amazing level of chakra control. She sent out large amounts of chakra and mixed it with the water so she could control it. He's heard of the style before, but its name and place of origin eluded him. He walked around a tree and suddenly had a clear view of the lake and clearing where he had fought just an hour earlier. Rei was still there, lying facedown on the ground. There were kunai and shuriken and senbon sticking out of her back, and blood was everywhere. He knew he had wounded her, but he didn't realize he had that much! He was shocked and it showed on his face as he ran towards her, forming seals for medical jutsu.

"Now!" A couple of shuriken just missed him by a few centimeters and Tegowai and Souta jumped down from the tree branch over his head. Tegowai had started hand seals, and the "wounded" Rei rose up. The weak genjutsu shattered, the illusionary weapons dissapearing. Kyoushu was annoyed with himself. It had been a simple trick, and he had fallen for it. He made a discreet hand seal and used a karwami.

"Chuudokushi no jutsu!" Tegowai's hands glowed sickly green as he charged for him, attempting to land a blow to his chest. He dodged the deadly poisoned hands, kneeing his opponent in the stomach. Souta appeared out of nowhere right in front of him, kunai drawn. Kyoushu pulled out his own kunai and tried to parry the thrust- but went right through. He stumbled off- balance and there was another Souta there. _Damn genjutsu, _He recognized his pupil's technique, and formed the seals.

"Kaijo!" he stumbled back into reality as a whip of ice caught his hands, binding them together. More ice came and trapped his legs. Kyoushu fell to his knees, as Rei appeared in his field of vision. She smiled. Tegowai stepped on Kyoushu's back and made v-for-victory signs with his hands.

"Give it up sensei. Face it, we won!" Rei giggled girlishly, then shrieked with surprise as his kage bushin poofed away. The smoke cleared, and the genin whirled around to see their sensei jumping down from one of the trees overhead. "Alright, you guys have proven your talents. You pass. You surprised me in the end, and while you have much to improve on, we will make a very good team. Okay, dismissed!"

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Notes: I made up most of the techniques used in this chapter, so here are the translations-

Kaijo kirai- it means release and return- he was released from the genjutsu, and trapped Souta in it.

Doku Shihohappo Shuriken no jutsu- poison shuriken from all directions.

Gekidoku gasu- Deadly poison gas.

Shinto satsugai- deathly silent murder.

Mizu kansei no jutsu- water controlling technique

Kogoru- freeze

Chimamire magire no jutsu- blood-stained confusion technique

Chuudokushi no jutsu- death by poisoning technique

Meruto- melt


	4. D rank

Chapter 4

Tegowai moaned loudly (and rather rudely). Sarutobi looked at him over his papers, arching an eyebrow.

"Is something wrong, Tegowai-san?"

"Yeah, I'm bored of these stupid low rank missions. When do we get to do some real stuff?" he complained.

"Yeah!" Rei added. Souta was silent, but his eyes agreed. Sarutobi sighed.

"Your still new genin, and will be given only D rank missions, until I think you are ready for higher level ' real stuff' as you put it."

Kyoushu knew how annoyed he was. Almost every team had, at one point in time, complained about the D ranks. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, and hoped his students would just shut up. "Your next mission is babysitting Yumi-chan's seventeen children. This should be challenging enough to meet your hopes. Now go!"

Kyoushu hurriedly ushered his students out of the elderly ninja's office.

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They knocked on the door and a little girl opened it. She was wearing a purple dress with a huge pink bow in her hair. Rei squatted down to her level, pushing away half of the bow that had fallen onto the girl's face, and smiled.

"Hey little girl! Is your mommy around?"

"Are you our babysitters?" the girl peered out at all of them.

"Um, yeah little girl. Where's your mom?" Tegowai said.

"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers." The little girl tried to slam the door in their face, but her bow got trapped in the door. It opened a bit again, and the corner of the ribbon disappeared inside. Rei knocked again, and this time a boy a few years younger than them opened the door.

"Hey, kid! Can we talk to your mother?" Kyoushu took a turn smiling his most charming you-can-trust-me smile.

"Maybe." The kid closed the door. By know, the team was getting very annoyed. Souta stepped forward, and knocked loudly. A lady holding two howling kids opened the door. Souta bowed.

"Hello Yumi-san. We are supposed to watch the children." Yumi looked frazzled.

"Oh yes, thank you" she said as she handed the babies to Tegowai. "I'll be back in two hours, don't feed Rakki any thing with nuts, and at noon all children under six must take a nap." She shot out the door leaving the four ninja staring, mouths wide. Rei took charge of the chaotic room.

"Okay kids! Who wants to play a game with us?" she smiled. The children started chanting.

"Maypole, maypole, maypole, maypole!"

"Oh, I don't know how to play that. Why don't you teach me!" Rei was happy to be in control.

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A few minutes later, Kyoushu was trying to change the screaming twins, Souta was feeding a toddler some oatmeal, getting more on himself than in the kid, Tegowai was cowering in the corner, and Rei was tied up in the middle of the room threatening to impale the kids if they didn't release her this instant. The afternoon progressed in a similar fashion, until half of the kids were duct taped to their beds, and Kyoushu had found the magic kid controller, AKA the television. The shinobi were slumped on the floor, breathing heavily. Tegowai's clothes were torn and he was trying to fit his weapons back in his holster, since some of the kids had gotten to them. Rei had clumps of food in her hair, and Souta was still on the floor, having been trampled by a stampede of kids just moments earlier.

"I take back what I said earlier. D ranks are torture." Tegowai was helping Souta get up. Yumi walked in, and the team was out the door before she could even thank them.

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Kyoushu turned to face his students.

"Congratulations on another successful mission! Lets go for ramen to celebrate!"

Rei shook her head, some oats and crust dislodging from her hair.

"No way. I can't be seen out here like this. I need to take a shower before anyone spots-"

"Hey slut, what's in your hair? Is that oatmeal?" Rei winced at the sound of Aruka's voice, and turned to face her.

"Hey Abazure, I wouldn't be talking about messed up hair if I were you, ugly." Aruka fumed. She was accompanied by Yoshi and Ichiyo. Tegowai walked up to his twin.

"Hey Bro! I have just seen the true meaning of hell. I officially hate kids. I mean, look what they did to me!" Ichiyo inspected his brother.

"Whoa, what happened bro? You look terrible! And Rei-chan, what is in your hair? I mean, you still look gorgeous and all, but is that baby food?" Rei gave them all death glares. She ran a hand through her hair, and most of the oats fell out.

"Fine. Lets go for ramen, but only if its Sensei's treat." Kyoushu nodded. Rei found herself sitting next to Aruka, possible her least favorite person on earth, in a packed to the brim ramen stand. All the teams had finished missions today, and they had run into Gai's team on the way to the ramen stand, and invited them along. Gai was talking to the other senseis, Yamanaka Nami and Kyoushu. They looked incredibly bored by the one-sided conversation. Lee was talking to Ichiyo and Tegowai, and Aruka was trying to strike up a conversation with Neji, who was pointedly ignoring her. Yoshi was reading a book of scientific mishkabable. Ichiyo had tried flirting with Rei, but she had (very rudely) told him to stuff it and try talking to someone that cared. She was in a rotten mood. Then of course, two more people entered the already pretty much full stand, Iruka and a blonde kid with a stupid face. They sat down on the other side of Rei.

"Hey Iruka-sensei!" Rei greeted her former teacher, glad to have someone else to talk to.

"Oh, hello Rei-chan! So you passed the final exam hm? That's great!"

"Yeah, but we have such stupid missions. Babysitting, dog-walking, we even recovered the same lost cat five times! I wish we could get something cool to do." Rei pouted and Iruka chuckled.

"Probably that's not going to happen for a few months, or if you get a higher rank. Your still a new genin, you'll probably have these kinds of missions for a while."

The blond kid interrupted their conversation.

"Hey, hey, Iruka-sensei, who's she?" he pointed rudely towards her.

"Oh, this is a former student, a recent graduate of mine. Her name is Rei-chan. Rei-chan, this is Naruto."

"Oh, nice to meet you Rei-san. Sensei, where's my ramen?" Iruka sighed, and ordered two bowls. He turned back to Rei.

"Well Naruto-kun is definitely a trouble maker. I thought I would get a break when you graduated!" He teased. Rei pouted playfully.

"I thought you missed me Sensei! I'm insulted." She crossed her arms and turned so her back was facing him. Iruka just laughed.

"Hey Rei-chan! How was that mission today, huh? It was hilarious when you tried to feed little Bussho-chan and he scooped the oatmeal onto your hair, but not as funny as when the kids tied you up and you were threatening to kill them all if they didn't let you go! Ha, classic Rei moment!" Tegowai shouted to her. Rei grinned at him evilly.

"Well, at least I was trying to do something, unlike someone who just spent the day cowering from six year olds in a corner!" Tegowai laughed.

"Well, they were fricken scary! Remember what happened to Sensei when he was trying to change the baby, and when the monsters stole my weapons? It was so friken funny! Well… maybe not so much the stealing of the poisoned weapons, but still!" Kyoushu looked annoyed.

"I never changed babies before! I'm inexperienced with childcare!"

"Obviously, so is Rei-chan!" the stand was filled with laughs as Tegowai and Rei recounted their teams adventure. They stayed there, all the teams telling stories of their final exams and missions, until the stand owner kicked them out at midnight. They said goodbye and headed home.

And just so you know:

Nami is Ino's cousin.


	5. Unprepared

Chapter 5

"Augh!" Rei fell from her hiding spot in the foliage of the trees, clutching her arm, and flipping to land on her feet. She immediately jumped backwards, just in time to dodge a barrage of shuriken. She ducked as a kunai imbedded itself in the tree behind her, rolling to the side and forming three quick hand seals. "Mizu bushin no jutsu," she muttered, then jumped behind the cover of a tree as more weapons were thrown by an unseen opponent. She quickly looked from side to side, and ducked into some bushes, trying to keep quiet. Just a few seconds later, she jumped up again, as a plume of flame engulfed her hiding place. She flipped in the air, landing on a tree branch next to her sensei. "Found'ya, sensei," she whispered, jumping away again as he struck out. She landed in a crouch on a branch a few feet upwards. She put her hand over her neck, pressing the button on her transmitter. "Hey guys I-"

"I got him, Rei! Over!" Tegowai's voice interrupted her.

"What? But how-" Souta's voice joined the conversation. "Guys! Its just kage bushin! We've been tricked! Deal with them, then meet at the lake! Over and out!"

Rei, narrowed her eyes, dodging the bushin's attacks. She jumped out of the tree and landed in a crouch on the ground. _Now! _She silently commanded her mizu bushin. Five kunai were thrown from higher branches, landing in a pentagon formation surrounding Kyoushu's bushin. It's eyes widened as it noticed the burning tags tied onto them. There was a bright light, followed immediately by a resounding boom, and Rei dodged to the left to avoid a tree that fell. She stood up and smiled. The real Kyoushu would not have been hurt in that blast, but kage bushin were much more fragile. She turned around to head to the rendezvous (I love that word) point, but walked straight into the real Kyoushu. He grabbed her wrists and immobilized her before she could recover from her surprise.

"Nice try Rei-chan. But you should never lower your guard."

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Rei sighed loudly, re positioning herself on her tree branch that overlooked the lake. The orange color of the setting sun reflected off of the surface, making her squint. Souta was sitting below her, leaning against the tree trunk, and Tegowai was washing some blood off of his jacket in the lake. After their humiliating defeat in the day's training, Kyoushu had sentenced them to spend the night in the training ground. It wasn't a very cruel punishment, he said, but it would get very cold later in the evening, and he had forbidden them from returning to the village to get heavy blankets or jackets. Survival training, he had called it.

Silence reigned for a few moments, but was upthroned when Rei leaned backwards, like on a monkey bar set, and cocked her head back to meet her teammate's icy gaze.

"This is boring as hell," she stated, not to start a conversation, rather as an attempt to dispel her boredom by reciting simple facts. A few minutes passed, and Tegowai returned, carrying his jacket. He slumped down next to Souta. "What's with Sensei, giving us such a stupid punishment?" Rei complained to him.

"I dunno. He's still pretty new to the teacher game, he only got officially promoted to full jounin a few months ago. This is kind of lame, though." Silence returned for several dull moments.

"I'm hungry," Tegowai said, but made no move to get up to get anything to eat. "Hey, should we go find food?" Tegowai asked his male teammate. Souta just sat there, unresponsive. Tegowai frowned. "Souta?" He tapped him lightly in the arm. Souta teetered to one side, then fell over, his jacket slumping over to reveal a large log. Tegowai jumped up in surprise, and Rei fell out of the tree. She stood up, rubbing her head, muttering. Tegowai examined the log, and confirmed that it was not some genjutsu prank. Souta was gone.

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"I'm back," Souta stated in a monotone. He was dragging behind him sleeping bags, blankets, jackets, and food. He stopped suddenly as he came into a clearing with a distinct lack of ninja. He let out an almost inaudible sigh, then quickly snapped his head upwards and jumped backwards in an attempt to dodge the shadow that had sprung from the tree above him, tripping in the process. He tried to form hand seals, but it was too late.

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"Souta! Souta! Souta, where are you?" Tegowai sidestepped a bush that was almost hidden in the darkness. The moon was shining steadily in the clear night sky, but it didn't cast much light below the trees. He was almost to the other side of the lake, and he had been looking for almost an hour. He put down his arms and sighed. He might as well head back, and hope that Souta had turned up of his own. He turned around abruptly and headed to the direction he had come, following the edge of the lake to make sure he wouldn't get lost.

""""""""""""""""""""""

"Souta? Souta-kun?" Rei shouted, looking around her. She shivered and crossed to arms over herself in a futile attempt to stay warm. She regretted dressing in her sleeveless top… it looked well enough, but in this darkness there was no one around to see it. She rubbed her arms, trying to create some heat. Maybe she should turn back and hope that Tegowai had better luck with his search. She jumped and let out a little screech as a small animal darted out of the shadows and up a tree. She stood still for a moment, looking around, and taking in her surroundings. And that was when she realized that she was hopelessly lost.

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Tegowai retuned to the clearing to see a pile of blankets, a fire, and food. There was no one around, but it only took him a moment to realize that they had freaked out over nothing. Souta had simply done the sane thing by returning to the village against their Sensei's orders. He frowned, a little upset that Souta would go against their instructions, then shrugged it off. He took off his coat, which unfortunately had not had time to dry properly before he set out to look for his teammate, and took a blanket to wrap around himself.

He sat own at the fire and began to eat.

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"Tegowai-kun? Souta-kun?" Rei almost whispered, as if afraid that the slightest disturbance of the wood's darkness would lead to some terrible occurence. She had no idea where she was, and gradually the numbness from the cold had been replaced by that of fear.

She stumbled along, and suddenly caught sight of a source of light. She stopped suddenly, but she couldn't relocate it. She continued on, then saw it again. Hope rising in her chest, she started towards it.

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A rustle of movement caught Tegowai's attention. He had finished eating, and was getting worried as neither of his teammates had shown up.

"Rei-chan?" he stood up.

Instead of his black-clad teammate, Souta emerged from the bushes.

"Okay, good, you're here. Alright, we need to find Rei before she gets herself lost."

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Rei kept trudging forward, toward the light. It flickered softly, letting her believe that it was a campfire she was seeing. She relaxed slightly, then immediately stiffened as a kunai flashed in the darkness. She leapt backwards to avoid it, moving straight into the arms of her assailant. He pressed another kunai to her neck. "Where do you think your going, Rei-chan?" Rei stopped struggling, recognizing her sensei's voice. "Um… toilet?" She tried, unconvincingly. Kyoushu signed.

"Alright, come here." He led her into a clearing where Souta and Tegowai were already sitting, tied up. Tegowai jumped up in alarm. "Sensei! Some ninja came and … oh. It was you, wasn't it. Oops, " He smiled sheepishly.

"Okay, what am I going to do with you guys? I give you guys a simple order, like spend the night in the forest. And you couldn't even do that! On any mission, you're expected to be able to sleep in any location or condition. A little cold is nothing, the priority is to regain energy. Comfort doesn't matter at all. Do you understand?" Kyoushu lectured.

Rei pouted. "But its so booooring!" she complained.

"Tough!" He shouted. His students flinched and silenced, having never seen him get so angry. He put his hand over his face and sighed. "Being a shinobi is dangerous business. Ignoring orders can lead to death." He sighed again. "I must have been crazy to accept a team this early. I only just got promoted from specialized jounin. I'm only five years older than you guys! I thought I could handle it, but…"

Rei gasped. "You're not leaving us, Sensei, are you?"

"We're sorry Sensei! Please don't!" Tegowai pleaded.

"Yeah! We wont do it ever again! We're really sorry!" Rei added. Souta just nodded in agreement.

"No, I'm not leaving. I couldn't anyway, you're my responsibility until you become chunin or jounin and start doing missions on your own or get your own team. Okay. I'm sorry I lost my temper, but you really do need to start following orders… You just aren't prepared for real missions. We will be doing more training, starting tomorrow, bright and early. You may go home for tonight, but expect some more nighttime training in the next few weeks. Alright, dismissed."


	6. Another Chance?

Well, here's the first new chapter I've written since November. Well, I'm a liar, about half of this was written about two years ago.

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Chapter 6

"Whaaaaaaaat? That's so not fair!"

"I know, but that's what my brother told me!"

"I can't believe it!" Rei collapsed to the ground dramatically, then spread out on her back. "How come they got one and not us?"

"Ichi's annoyed too. But no one on his team seems bothered. Yoshi's too shy to say his opinion, and Aruka just says it's all because of Neji's greatness or something…"

Souta stood up. "Here comes Sensei. Perhaps now would be the time to question him about it?"

Tegowai stared at him, then broke into a grin and pulled him into a hug. "I knew you were bothered too, Souta! See, even Souta sees something wrong with it!"

"Alright, something wrong with what?" Kyoushu asked as he approached.

Rei gazed up at him looking heartbroken. "Sensei! Is it true?"

"Is what true, Rei-chan?" He asked, although he had a pretty good idea what they were talking about.

"That Neji's team got a C rank mission!" Tegowai and Rei chorused.

"Yes, it is," He answered pleasantly, ignoring the underlying question.

"But why?"

"Team Gai has been training nearly non-stop since graduation. They have improved greatly and both Gai-sensei and the hokage have decided that they are prepared," Kyoushu recited.

"But why haven't we gotten one, Sensei? Haven't we improved?" Rei asked, pouting.

_Ah-ha, there it is… _"Because I did not think you were ready for one. Now come on, lets keep training. You have a short dog walking mission this afternoon, so we don't have as much time as we usually do…" He started walking towards the training fields, but stopped a few moments later when he realized that they weren't following. He turned to face his students, who were stubbornly unmoving. Tegowai and Souta stood with their arms crossed and Rei mirrored the pose while sitting on the ground. "Okay, you three need to stop acting like children. It might be a disappointment, but perhaps if you focus more on training and following orders you will be prepared the next time a C rank comes up, alright? Now come on, or would you rather go babysitting again? The hokage offered that mission last night, and I don't think anyone's taken it yet."

With a few grumbles from Rei and Tegowai, then followed him off into the training grounds.

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The Hokage sighed, rifling through his paperwork. There were fifteen death certificates to sign, four adoption forms to be approved, and a meeting in three hours… it was too much work for an old man! _Maybe I should find a successor and just retire already._

There was a knock on his door and he pushed the work to the side of his desk as Izumo walked in.

"We have captured a Taki-nin, hokage-sama. He insisted he speak to you before we took him to Ibiki. We have disarmed him, he was caught on the outskirts of the village." Izumo beckoned, and two men entered, one with his hands held behind his back with chakra cuffs. Then Izumo and the man who had brought the prisoner in bowed and left.

Sarutobi sat up straight, and took out a form from one of his desk drawers. He uncapped his pen, then looked up at the man.

"You are a Taki-nin, correct? Not a missing nin?" The man nodded, squirming in the chakra cuffs.

"You are aware that Taki and Konoha do not have an alliance? And that you were in enemy territory when you were captured? You were not on Taki ground?" The man nodded to each of these questions, and the hokage visibly relaxed. The man had confirmed that he had been on Konoha's territory, a huge relief. If a captured ninja denied this, the resulting disputes could lead to war. Sarutobi checked off some bubbles on the form.

"What is your name and rank?" He asked, pen poised over the paper.

The man looked up at him, his blue eyes flashing. "Odaki Isamu, chunin."

The hokage nodded, writing it down, noting the clan name. Taki was a fairly small ninja village, lead by the head of the Odaki clan. The village had been founded by a rouge kunoichi from the Mist, Odaki Chie. Her clan had grown to dominate Taki both in population majority and in influence. Konoha and Taki had a pretty shaky relationship at the present. It didn't help that the Fourth had killed the previous head of the clan during the last ninja war.

The hokage continued.

"Were you on a mission when you were captured?"

"No." This was also good. If this ninja was here on orders from Taki, then war could be brewing.

"Then why were you here?"

"I was looking for my daughter."

Sarutobi pulled out another piece of paper.

"Why would you suspect your daughter to be around here?"

"Not because of official business. I used to tell her stories… She ran away from home to try to become a ninja."

"Your daughter's name and age?" Sarutobi asked. Perhaps if Konoha nin were to find and return her, it would improve their relation with the Odaki clan.

"Ai, age eight."

"Height?"

"Four foot six."

Sarutobi finished noting this. "Alright. I am going to dispatch a team to search for your daughter. I will have to send you to interrogation, but if you are completely honest, you will not be hurt, and will be released soon." He called for Izumo, who took the man away. Sarutobi examined the team lists. _It would be a good idea to send a new genin team… this is a low rank mission, without traveling into another country… it would be good training for in the field…_

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"Rei, you need to learn this. It's a simple technique. I'm not going to hurt you; I'm only putting you in a genjutsu. Understand? It's only an illusion. Now could you please stop whining and pay attention?" Souta and Rei sat cross-legged under a tree. The sun had just started to set, tinting the sky a faint orange. Souta was shaping Rei's hands into a seal, and Kyoushu was sparring with Tegowai a few yards away.

"It's really hard! Besides, your genjutsu is really scary. I just can't do it!" Rei was complaining loudly.

"We've been going over the dispel technique for the past two hours, Rei. Now I'm going to try again, so take a deep breath and get ready, okay?"

Rei nodded, and formed the seal she had been practicing.

"Let's go." and all of a sudden, Souta was gone. So was Kyoushu… Rei was conscious of noise behind her, slow ragged breathing. She turned around, to see Souta's face inches away from hers, a wicked grin contorting his usual stoic expression, his eyes visible and bulging, his icy irises engulfing her, swallowing her whole…

"Rei." She was suddenly at the training grounds once more, shaking. Souta was sitting across from her, his eyes hidden under his colorless hair, as usual. He shook his head. "You can't seem to do it. Kyoushu-sensei," He said, turning to face his teacher. "This is hopeless. I've been working with her for hours, and she still can't get the hang of it." Kyoushu and Tegowai were circling each other, arms held across their chest. "Alright, one minute, Souta." Kyoushu replied, as Tegowai leapt forward, one arm curled inward at his side, the other striking upwards towards his sensei's face, hands clenched into fists. Kyoushu easily deflected the blow, grabbing his student's wrist and upper arm, using Tegowai's momentum to flip him over his shoulder. The unfortunate genin landed in a dead thorn bush a few yards behind him. Kyoushu turned to Souta.

"You have been at it for a while now… We'll just have to try again another day. Now, there's something I have to talk with you guys about."

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Rei, Tegowai, and Souta followed their teacher into Sarutobi's office. The hokage was seated behind his desk, and Ibiki was standing at attention beside him. Rei inched away from the tall intimidating figure, but Kyoushu approached him with a smile.

"It's been a while, Morino-sempai," He said with a bow.

Ibiki nodded to him, a thin smile on his lips. Rei and Tegowai shivered. "It indeed has been, Dokujin. The two smiled at each other for a few seconds longer than would normally be comfortable before Ibiki looked away, towards the hokage. Sarutobi looked at them warily.

"I do hope we won't have any incidents today, Ibiki, Kyoushu. Now, lets begin." He turned to face Kyoshu's students. "Your Sensei has advised me against assigning you a C class mission," Here Rei turned to glare at said teacher. He didn't blink. "However another lower class mission has arrived today. I feel it would be good mission practice for your team." He nodded to Ibiki to continue.

"Odaki Ai, 8 years old. Blue eyes, black hair, four foot six. She has run away from her home village, Taki, and her parents have reasonable suspicion that she is in this area. Your mission is to locate her and to bring her back here where she will then be returned to her home. We do not have a photograph, but we are told she wears her hair loose to her waist and dresses in light colored kimonos. It is likely however that she is dressed in some sort of black outfit with pants and she may have tied her hair back, so do not depend on that description." He finished his short briefing.

"That is all," Sarutobi said. "Now please wait outside the tower, I would like a word with you sensei. Kyoushu?"

Kyoushu nodded and his students were escorted out by Izumo. A few minutes later, Kyoshu rejoined them and led them towards the village gates.

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Finally a real mission! What will happen? Stay tuned!


End file.
